Yu Nian’s words were cold and hard, like someone wandering through a flower garden, casually giving away a cheap promise.

His face had lost its roundness compared to his youth, becoming sharper. His features had matured, his eyelashes long and thick, the corners of his eyes slightly upturned. His face seemed to be covered in a layer of frost, cold and almost ruthless.

But after saying this, he didn’t mention leaving again.

He just stared at Qi Wang for a moment, then suddenly picked up his chopsticks and started eating the remaining half-bowl of tomato noodles.

Qi Wang was taken aback and wanted to stop him, “The noodles are cold, let me make you another bowl.”

But Yu Nian blocked his hand, “Mind your own business, I like eating them cold.”

He finished the noodles in a few bites, tomato sauce smearing his lips. He seemed to be angry at someone, still looking weary, like a tired bird under the eaves.

Qi Wang went to tidy up the kitchen quickly. When he came out, he saw Yu Nian curled up in his chair, looking a bit sleepy, staring at him with bleary eyes. He subconsciously reached out to Yu Nian, intending to carry him to the bedroom.

But as his hand reached out, Qi Wang realized his impudence.

This wasn’t eight years ago.

Yu Nian wasn’t as fond of being pampered anymore.

Yet before he could retract his hand, someone grabbed it.

Yu Nian pursed his lips, hooked Qi Wang’s elbow, and draped his arm over his shoulder.

That night, since their reunion, was the first time they shared a bed.

Yu Nian remained silent, closing his eyes as if asleep.

Qi Wang didn’t disturb him, just stared at him for a long time. Seeing Yu Nian lying quietly, seemingly asleep, he got up to turn off the bedside lamp.

In the instant the light went out.

The room turned dim, with only faint outlines of furniture visible.

He hesitated for a moment, then leaned down and lightly kissed Yu Nian’s forehead.

In the darkness, Yu Nian’s eyelashes fluttered.

As Qi Wang lay down in bed and gradually fell asleep, emitting light and even breaths, Yu Nian opened his eyes in the darkness.

He gently raised his hand to touch his own forehead.

It felt burning hot.

…..

The next morning, Yu Nian, still having work to do, didn’t linger in Rong City. He and Qi Wang took an early flight back to C City together.

On the plane, Yu Nian wore oversized sunglasses, hiding his slightly swollen eyes.

When the flight attendant came to serve meals, Yu Nian didn’t touch anything, only picking at some fruit.

Drinking orange juice, he said to Qi Wang, “Your cooking is better.”

Qi Wang also had little appetite, only eating some shrimp and pasta. He looked at Yu Nian and said softly, “I’ll cook for you later.”

Yu Nian’s lips curled slightly. He didn’t say yes or no, just remarked, “You’re quite dedicated to this bed warmer role, even more considerate than a nanny.”

But when the plane landed, Qi Wang’s car was parked at the airport, ready to take him home first.

Upon arrival, he hesitated to get out of the car, still wearing his sunglasses, his expression cold and distant.

But after a few seconds, he suddenly rattled off a series of numbers.

Qi Wang hadn’t reacted yet and asked, “What’s this?”

“My house password,” Yu Nian reluctantly answered, as if making up for himself, “If you’re going to be my bed warmer, you’ll need to come in and out of my house.”

He opened his bag, took out his door card, and handed it to Qi Wang with indifference.

“Here,” he said, “This is the door card for downstairs. I’ll register your name and information with the property management so you can come and go as you please.”

In his apartment building, there were two security guards downstairs, and only a few people lived in the building. The security guards knew everyone by heart, so if it was a new face, they wouldn’t be able to get in the beginning.

Qi Wang looked at the door card Yu Nian held between his slender fingers, feeling a bit subtle in his heart.

He took it.

The door card was very light, held in his hand, leaving a shallow mark on his palm.

He hadn’t expected to be granted the right to enter and exit Yu Nian’s residence so easily.

He couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart.

He didn’t even have time to feel happy; instead, a sourness rose from the depths of his chest.

After so many years, it seemed that Yu Nian still hadn’t learned his lesson. Despite putting on a tough front, when it came down to it, he was all bark and no bite.

Dealing with someone like him, a betrayer and persistent pursuer, Yu Nian shouldn’t have so easily given away his personal space.

As Yu Nian was about to get out of the car, Qi Wang suddenly grabbed him.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Nian looked back at him.

Qi Wang held onto Yu Nian’s arm, his palm almost sweating.

“Can I take you out this weekend?” He couldn’t think of any romantic ideas for a moment, his mind almost twisting together. He glanced at the back seat of the car, where someone had left a mountaineering guidebook. He blurted out, “Do you want to go hiking?”

As soon as the words came out, Qi Wang knew it was a mistake.

When has lazy Yu Nian ever liked hiking?

When they went out together in the past, Yu Nian complained about being tired after going around an amusement park, and Qi Wang had to carry him back.

Sure enough, Yu Nian looked at him as if he’d seen a ghost, his eyebrows raised behind his sunglasses, looking like he was ready to scold him.

“No, I…” Qi Wang tried to salvage the situation.

But the next moment, he heard Yu Nian’s gnashing voice.

“Are you crazy? Climbing a mountain in the dead of winter, do you want to freeze to death?”

But Yu Nian paused, then said, “Change it, and I’ll go with you.”

Qi Wang was stunned.

He looked at Yu Nian, but Yu Nian turned his face away and lowered his eyelashes, only his wrist still held in Qi Wang’s hand.

Recalling what he had learned about Yu Nian from tabloid reports over the years, Qi Wang tentatively asked, “Then, do you want to go skiing? There’s a new ski resort in Xinan District, it’s quite nice. After skiing, there’s also a good hot spring hotel nearby.”

Yu Nian was silent for two seconds before softly murmuring, “Mm.”

Sitting in the car, Qi Wang watched as Yu Nian walked past his car and headed straight back to his apartment.

But before entering the building, Yu Nian stopped and glanced back in Qi Wang’s direction.

It wasn’t until Yu Nian had completely disappeared that Qi Wang remained sitting in the car for a while longer.

---

On Friday, Qi Wang waited on time outside Yu Nian’s company building.

Yu Nian was still in a meeting upstairs.

He was in a meeting with the team of pattern designers, and he wasn’t quite satisfied with the samples they had produced so far.

Finally, when the discussion came to an end, Yu Nian saw Qi Wang’s message.

Standing by the window, he saw the familiar black Maserati downstairs, holding a cup of refreshing coffee in his hand, unaware that his lips were curling up silently.

The rest of the team had already left, and the head designer, who had been preparing to leave, looked up and was somewhat surprised to see the expression on Yu Nian’s face.

As a long-time teammate who had worked closely with Yu Nian, they had a good personal relationship outside of work.

He joked, “What are you looking at? Any plans after work? You seem so happy.”

Normally, after so much collaboration, if the desired effect of the design drafts couldn’t be achieved, Yu Nian’s expression would be quite cold.

It was rare to see Yu Nian smiling when things weren’t going well at work.

Yu Nian touched his face with his hand, feeling a bit guilty but still retorted, “What plans could there be? Just going home to sleep.”

The supervisor chuckled dryly, not believing it for a moment.

But he didn’t bother to delve deeper, joking with a bit of concern, “You young people, don’t just go home to sleep all the time. Why not go out on dates or attend some gatherings when you have time? Look at you, still claiming to be part of our fashion circle, but living life so unflatteringly.”

Yu Nian ignored him.

He finished his coffee upstairs, turned off the office lights, and left the company.

Step by step, he walked towards where Qi Wang had parked, the fallen leaves crunching beneath his feet, making a dry crackling sound.

He was almost at Qi Wang’s car.

But suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

He knew Qi Wang was right in front of him, yet he felt a twinge of anxiety.

For a moment, he was afraid that all of this was just another dream, and once he opened the car door, his dream would end.

Over these eight years, he had had too many vivid dreams where Qi Wang tightly held his hand, saying he wouldn’t go anywhere.

But when he woke up, all that was left for him was an empty palm.

Yu Nian hesitated, unable to take another step forward.

But Qi Wang had already seen him in the rearview mirror. He pushed open the car door and walked over.

“Why aren’t you getting in?”

He took Yu Nian’s hand and felt its icy coldness, furrowing his brows.

“You’re not dressed warmly enough,” he said softly, pulling Yu Nian towards the passenger side of the car.

And when he got in himself, he picked up a blue paper box from the back seat and placed it on Yu Nian’s lap.

“I passed by a little alley just now and saw some pastries being sold. I remembered you liked them, so I bought some.”

Qi Wang tugged at the packaging, and the box opened, revealing a stack of pastries in various flavors.

He glanced at Yu Nian and hesitated, “I bought a little bit of each flavor, but I’m not sure if your taste has changed. If you don’t like them, it’s okay, just leave them aside.”

Yu Nian stared at the pastries in his arms.

He didn’t say anything but picked up a piece of taro-flavored pastry and took a small bite.

He had always loved these sweet treats, even eating them until he got cavities when he was younger.

When he was with Qi Wang, Qi Wang often bought him red bean paste rice cakes and the like. Even in the middle of the night, he would make baked custard for him.

Taking a bite, he tilted his head slightly to one side and casually said, “It’s okay.”

But for some reason, his nose felt a bit sour.

Qi Wang let out a sigh of relief.

He drove towards their destination, the warmth inside the car unconsciously relaxing their nerves.

His lips curled downwards slightly as he softly said, “Your taste is still like a child’s.”

After saying this, he felt a bit awkward, thinking his tone was too intimate.

He turned to look at Yu Nian beside him.

Yu Nian seemed not to have heard clearly, he frowned and picked up a matcha-flavored pastry.

Eating half of it, he noticed Qi Wang’s frequent glances, and his expression became inexplicably puzzled. “Why are you looking at me? Just focus on driving.”

But after some thought, he misunderstood Qi Wang’s meaning, pursed his lips, and picked up a sesame pastry, offering it to Qi Wang.

“Do you want some too?”

He clearly remembered that Qi Wang didn’t like these.

Qi Wang was stunned for a moment, but soon, he lowered his head and took a bite.

It was excessively sweet.

There was even some honey mixed into the sesame.

But it seemed much tastier than he remembered.

^[1]Author’s note: Xiao Yu now is stubborn through and through… Xiao Yu said to let Qi Wang be a bed partner. But besides Qi Wang, would he have other partners? No. Is there a … Continue reading